Local churches or fellowships participate in the Royal Rangers ministry on a weekly basis and conduct weekly meetings, called an outpost meeting. An outpost council that is made up of three to five leaders and administered by a senior commander who directs the outpost. The council coordinates the activities of the outpost such as activities, weekly meetings, camping trips, outreach ministries, etc. The outpost commander is assisted during the weekly meetings by responsible adult commanders, and by boys, called guides, who are recognized for their maturity and leadership abilities.

Enlisting the commander
The local church is responsible for recruiting and screening all potential leaders.
Determine the number of commanders and lieutenant commanders needed. Each Royal Rangers group needs an adequate number of adult leaders. A survey to determine the number of boys in the church (ages 5-17) will help in determining the number of groups and commanders needed.

One of the functions that a commander has is to monitor the boy's progress on his advancement trail. As they progress through the age groups, the boys have opportunity to pass stringent requirements at each level and earn merit patches and medals to honor their achievements.

Each outpost has four age groups to allow boys to advance with their peers at an appropriate pace for their age and grade level. Boys will learn about the Royal Ranger Code, Royal Ranger Pledge, and Royal Ranger Motto, which are specifically designed to develop their Christian value system. A group commander who plans and implements the weekly activities and lessons leads each age-level group.

Each age group meets weekly and participates in group activities, fun games, meaningful crafts and biblical lessons. These meetings are designed to help the boy grow physically, spiritually, mentally, and socially. These character traits are represented in the official Royal Ranger Emblem by the four gold points.

Occasionally, the outposts will participate in larger, officially sanctioned events that will involve many outposts. These events may involve local camping excursions, pinewood derby races, awards ceremonies and devotional gatherings. The size and participants of these events vary from outposts within each district and region. Every other year there is a national event which will include outposts from across the United States and sometimes from around the world. The events, called Camporama or Rendezvous provide an exciting atmosphere of praise, worship, and camping fun for all participants. See our events section for further information.

If your church would like to start a Royal Rangers outpost, you can learn about how to get started by going to our How to Get Started page.